The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-08-27

spring. a1ter tne sAlutat1OnS ne ASReu |
why Miss Iris was not the third that day, |
as In oil classic lore the sisters always ap-
peared in threes or mines. 60" an
swcred, "she is with mamma to-day, doing
the family charity"
~ beg your pardon" he said.
"Making visits, you know, on our poor
people and in tho hospitals. Mamma has
done 1t since time began, and thinks 1t part
of our education"
30, indeed. And she spends much time
that wayl" he asked
1--WE take turns with mamma every other
morning. Thursday is our Flower Mission
day. 1t is my turn Thursday"
"What a lovely life" he said. "One
makes II sort of expiation in that way for
having moro than one's equity in this
worlds blessings, rs we phrase it. What
u lovely nature that finds its pleasure in
sich worx" And then / was sure 1t was
1cis to whom Mr.. Poindextcr was attracted.
He went on with us a little way; and as
looked up ut his serious, proud face, and
cav anew his lofty stature and bearing, /
couldn't help admiring him a little on my
own account, and wishing it had been who
had been out with mamma that morning,
and had been found on the angelic business.
But then, l reflected, IL had been l should
not have had the present bliss Of being in
his society and making my poor little mark.
And / reflected, too, how mamma would
have despised me IL she could have known
my state Of mind. And yet knew very
we'll that was not in the least affected by
any personal power of Mr.. Poindexter; it
was the power of his bank account, Of his
position. Of his house in town, of Poindexter
Place, that moved me, and that confess
But just as was going on in this way in
my thoughts we were crossing King street,
on the separate flag stones, side by side,
and Mr.. Poindexter's head was bent to hear
what Prim was saying, and / was looking
at them, and all in heart beat, as you may
say, and before we heard u sound, two
huge horses heads were rearing over our
shoulders, and four great shining forefeet
were paving the air, and Prim had slipped
and fallen and was under them.
never admired any one so much in all
my life-although l was too frightened to
know it-as did Mr.. Poindexter at that
moment, when with his figure flung to its
full height and his face white and fixed, he
grasped those horses by the brides and
held them and forced them back with u
perfectly gigantic strength, before the
driver checked them, too, while some one
Pm not sure l don't know who-pulled
Prim, WHO had tainted, out of the way, and
was screaming at the top OF my voice.
Then Mr.. Poindexter called coach and
drove home with us, it seemed to me, while
was crying over Prim, as fast as the wind
blows over the top Of Mount Washington.
But as fast as we drove, the news of what
had happened was before us, and mamma
was rushing to the door: she was awfully
fond of Prim, and never made any secret
Of it; Prim was her comfort and her darl
ing. And when Prim, pale and teary, had
flung herself into mammals arms, and
mamma had exclaimed and kissed her, an d
cried over her as il there wasn't another
person in the world, suddenly she tore her.
self away, the tears still pouring over her
flushed face, her eyes all suffnsed with
them till they looked like melted sapphires,
and ran to Mr.. Poindexter and seized his
hand in both hers. "O," she cried, tyou
have saved to Inc the dearest thing have
How can ever thank your'
81 know way" Mr.. Poindexter mur-
INJURED, and murmured so low that guessed
rather than heard what he said.
"Aha!" thought l to myself, as helped
Prim, who was considerably torn and
soiled as to her garments, from the room
''now am absolutely sure he is going to
ask mamma for Prim. Itwon't make much
odds about her new spring suits being
ny IuOSc lucTc IL Uc WcuulHP
garments presently. Well, l don't care.
shall have just as good times in Poindexter
Place as if it were mine; and I've no doubt
that some of the Poindexter splendor will
overflow on me from PRINTS pin-money."
And US afterward, looking from the win
dow, l saw mamma and Mr.. Poindexter
pacing up and down the little garden-place
where the grass was just greening and the
crocuses blooming out, l made no doubt
that he was arranging with mamma the
settlements to be made on Prim; all the
surer when, as he was going away, he took
off his hat and bent as Sir Lancelot might
have done, and kissed that white hand o (
hers.
'VThat settles it,' said I. 'And I'm sure
Pm relieved, Prim, on the whole, that it, s
not who have to play Esther to Ahasue.
rus. And 1 must say l think you'll do
credit to your position, your such pretty
little pale thing with your black hair and
long eyelashes, and you'll be so like a lady
of romance in your great big house, and
your big carriage, and in your evening
toilettes just a-glitter with diamonds"
80, that-that isn't the way to look at
itl' cried Prim. "I-Pm afraid WEI re
very mercenary for young girls"
'We have to be-" said Iris. "Papa's
money, now that gowns and things have
become so much more costly, is just next to
nothing, and Pm tired into my soul of turn
lug dresses and retrimmlng hats"
"For all that" said Prim, sit isn't pleas
ant to think you're really, after all is said,
doing no more than fixing price on your
self And-and the fact is, he's very
splendid, and all that, but 1 don't see how
any one can be in lore with Mr.. PoindeXter."
~ don't know" said Iris, hesitatingly.
"Well," said l, "as said before, that's
because we never are able even to get ac-
quainted with him. How can people be in
love with person when they're not ac-
quainted; and how can they get acquainted
with person when the fond mamma is al
ways in the foreground, talking Greek
choruses, or German music, or EARLY En-
glish art, should like to knowl The mo.
ment that any one gets talking to us freely,
and we're going on about the other girls, or
the favorite actor, or which opera we like
best, or the last fashion, and singing
snatches of the Gilbert and Sullivan and
Ofenbach things, in glides mamma, like the
Queen of Hearts after her tarts, and pres.
emily the conversation is all up on the
Browning plane, or the humanities, or poll
tics, AID we're no better than dummies"
"What are the humanities, Suei"
"Pshaw!"
"Well, / do WONDER" said Prim, 'what
made mamma so very brilliant, and us such
duncesF"
"You're not, Prim YOU'RE awfully en-
gagng; you know you are, said Iris. Sand
as for us-why, mamma just absorbed it all
herself. It's queer; she doesn't oven say,
the wny Mrs Ereeman does that she will